Freeper forums? Low post count suspicions?

[uhhuh]

I have seen a lot of new posters posing questions here that seem to have a lot of a lot of the rw media gloss to them.
Yeah, that's true.

I have also seen that many have the tendency to immediately assume that they are freepers, and attempt to call them out. I have seen suggestions that we create a forum just for posts that seem to have rw talking points in them.
To this I say: WTF!!??

With the slow exposure to the truth that many have experienced in the last few months, there are bound to be many new posters just coming out from under the rw media assault. They may be aware of some new facts, but have not beem introduced to ALL of the lies that they have been sold on.
I know many of the low count posters are probably rw trolls who are trying to get their shots in. It's easy enough to prove what they're saying is B.S.
Those who are honestly searching for info will be glad to get educated. Those who are trolling are too stupid to not out themselves after a little while.
I think we should get serious about laying the facts out if someone brings up obvious misinformation, but I don't think it is wise to shut someone down because they don't really know what's going on.
I know most of the points being brought up have been repeated over and over and over again, but the truth is something that we should never tire of providing.

My mom is a leftie from way back, but has not been paying that much attention lately. She knew the chimp was an ass, and we talked a little about it in the past, but she called the other night breathlessly to tell me about F/911, and how bad things really were.
I let her go on for a while and I threw in some other stuff that I have learned since coming here, and she was amazed that things were even WORSE than she thought. I always thought of her as an informed, intelligent, progressive woman, but she seemed to think that reading the paper and watching CNN kept her insulated from rw spin.
I had to let her know that the media is almost exclusively rw spin.

She may join us soon. I hope that mom isn't beaten up too bad in her first few posts because she isn't up to speed.
We have to take joy in countering the rw crap that is placed before us. If someone is a disruptor, they won't win here. They'll look like the asses they are and will eventually get banned. We have our facts together. We can do this.

[physioex]

1. Ok a suggestion to make people less suspicious...

Fill you the user profiles. Have an avatar image......

[Lestatdelc]

8. Having an Avatar...?

That requires you to donate. My spare change it strapped with Kerry donations, local Dem party donations, and kids and family raising.

Just wanted you to keep that in mind.

[physioex]

11. Far as I know anyone can have an avatar.....EOM

[St. Jarvitude]

17. You need to donate to have a custom avatar.

Note that I don't have my star and that I have an avatar.

[uhhuh]

20. Would that prove something?

A lot of obvious trolls do that. It takes a few minutes. Big deal. You can put whatever you want in there.

I don't have that stuff...Is that your implication?

Thanks for reminding me. Just for you,I'll leave it as it is.

[lostnfound]

2. Good comments. Even if 9 out of 10 are trolls, we mustn't lose the 10th.

That 10th person, if informed and welcomed here, can go on to inform many more. Who knows what talent or skills they bring? Grassroots change is about building many bridges.

[Mallifica]

3. as a newbie

I don't have a high post-count. I also don't understand what half of the abbreviated, coded, things that you are saying actually mean. I do understand my own politics and have felt unquestionable liberal for the last few years. So, as I aclimate to the new slang, etc., please bare (bear?) with me . . .but please do not discredit me for being unwitty, inexperienced, or particulary, unaware of the posting norms.
Let's remember . . .we are here to talk politics and policy. We are not here to judge how well we can post to forums.

[MI Cherie]

7. Welcome to DU!

I still feel like a newbie sometimes. I read more threads than I respond to.

A quest for knowledge should never be discouraged or ridiculed. I've been amazed at the things I've learned in the last few years.

DU Glossary: http://dug.seattleactivist.org/

[uhhuh]

13. Welcome aboard

You'll see after a short time how worthwhile it is to be here.

[Buns_of_Fire]

16. Welcome, Mallifica...

...and here's a thread that'll get you started on the slang: http://www.democraticunderground.com/cgi-bin/duforum/duboard.cgi?az=show_thread&om=16309&forum=DCForumID40

Keep in mind, though, that some miscreants (like me) will MUAJOTSOTM* -- just because we can... :evilgrin:

* Make Up Acronyms Just On The Spur Of The Moment, as if you hadn't guessed...

[lostnfound]

18. Hi Mallifica,

and welcome. I'm sure you will do fine.
We ought to have a list of abbreviations for newcomers, shouldn't we?

[Puglover]

25. When I started posting here

I didn't know what "n/t" was or "LIHOP" and many many others.....I asked, people were kind enough to tell me and now I know.

[BlueCollar]

26. welcome aboard

:hi:

[nolabels]

4. Beyond the thin layer of civil people lurks a very primitive oze

Some of us are kind of weird here (then some are very proper), but mostly we are all just looking for info and someone to share it with. The longer you hang out here the more you realize things everywhere are hanging on very thin string and all points have multitudes of layer clinging on. It sounds kind of icky, but really. Some stories check out and some don't.

Nobody clings to bunk here too much either, It gets carted off pretty quickly. I don't really think you can put any exact definition of what goes on here anyway. It all changes day to day, or even sometimes minute by minute depending on who is hanging around at the time. People come and go and come back for awhile then leave again. Anyway that's just my impression of the place over the last couple years.

[LibertyorDeath]

5. Good points......but

and I think this is your main point IMO

" I don't think it is wise to shut someone down because they don't really know what's going on"

To which I would say in all sincerity

If they don't really know what's going on

Then they should not be posting Rightwing talking points in GD (especially with a low post count)


They should read the very informative posts here & post

something that is not regurgitated Rovian shit

I do not want to throw the baby out with the bath water either

uhhuh I come here for the kind of thoughtfulness that is in your post.

At the same time it's depressing as well as frustrating to open

General Discussion & every 2nd or 3rd thread is about a RWTP

IMO

Hope your Mother stops buy.

[uhhuh]

14. I agree it's tough

But if there are people seeking knowledge in earnest, we should keep our suspicions to ourselves until they either refuse to listen or become obvious.
By refuting their points, it helps more than it hurts. It's tiring to keep knocking them down, but I think it is similar to excercise. It can get painful, and tiring, but the benifits will make themselves apparent in time with results.

[Bush was AWOL]

6. I may seem suspicious

because of my low post count, but the truth is I am a hard core left wing liberal. I post on other boards and chat with friends about these issues all the time. Of course, from time to time they can stump me and I have found no better place to turn than here for the right, honest, and correct answers. For the most part, I'm just an observer who reads articles on latest breaking news and comes over here to read more in-depth discussion. So, please try and realize I am on your side (if you are skeptical) when I bring up questions, but just want to know the absolute truth to strengthen my arguments.

[LibertyorDeath]

9. Welcome to the DU Bush was AWOL

You sound thoughtful I'm sure you won't be posting Right wing Talking points in the General Discussion threads.

It's not so much a low post count I have a problem with everyone here had a low post count to start

It's the combination of the low count & the RWTPoints

That gets my radar up.

[President Jesus]

10. I'm sorry, but it IS suspicious when someone with the bare minimum...

...starts threads with the 'rw gloss' you allude to.

There are more than enough threads going at one time to cover all the relevant topics. Why are they starting new ones as soon as they possibly can? Well, they're doing this because they're freepers.

I really think the minimum number of posts before being allowed to start threads should be raised from 10 to 50. I think by that time, the community will know if the person is a troll or not.

[LibertyorDeath]

12. Good idea

Between the stealth freeps that live here & the troll invaders

it's out of hand IMO

[uhhuh]

19. Then What?

We raise it to 100? 1000?
How long should someone have to wait to express themselves before they can be considered "respectable"?

I know there are tons of posters here that have thousands of posts that I have no doubt of their liberal credentials, but I think they are horribly misguided in a lot of things. I bet there are many who think I'm full of shit too. The easiest way to come to a consensus, or at least agree to disagree is to have these debates.
Not everybody knows what's going on.

Maybe a pop up could be placed on the screen before you post that you consider doing a search before you pose a question would be a good idea, and offer tools to do it, like a list of good search engines, and a list of other resources, but I think that if someone is coming here confused about things, they could do worse than to tap the fountain of knowledge that is DU.

[MissAnnThrope]

15. I too, have a low post count

I tend to be rather middle of the road in my politics. However, every political test I've ever taken, calls me a liberal.

I've already been called "frogface" here for taking a post that looked serious as a serious post. However, instead of getting in a flame war, I chose to ignore it.

I will admit, I've been banned at FR three times so far, once for saying Kerry had a right to be a Catholic and not insist abortion is wrong for those of other faiths, once for pointing out homosexuality isn't something that can be cured and people who take the cure tend to end up more screwed up than when they started and once for, well, someone didn't like the fact I told her straight out peanut allergies are common and food labels carry warnings, so just because she had never heard of them, it didn't mean they weren't common. I kid you not on the last one. So I guess I'm a sort of Freeper. I'm thinking of creating a fourth handle over there. Just to see how fast I can get banned this time. I do wonder what they think of the entire Valerie Plame thing. I still haven't seen a post on that over there.

Yes, I'm a middle aged trouble-maker with a brain. If I see someone who is exhibiting no common sense whatsoever, I will call them on it. I have views that are on both sides of the fence. However, I could never stand the Shrub. I never thought in my life I would say I'd rather have Dan Quayle as President. I don't believe Cheney is long for the campaign and I believed in 2000 that Shrub picked him because he assumed the guy would have a massive coronary and he could get whomever he really wanted in. Most likely someone even more offensive. Damn those excellent doctors at Walter Reed Medical Center! It screwed up his plans.

I believe the Shrub is going to try to steal the election again, this time with the Diebold machines. I was talking to my sister earlier tonight and she told me that someone at Diebold told Shrub he could deliver Ohio with those machines. If there's a word of truth to that, I'm scared. Then again, I have a friend in Nova Scotia who has offered me her spare bedroom if Shrub wins again.

I don't know how long I will hang out in the forums here. Probably until I get bored. But as far as all the newbies in the forum, you have to remember, while every year is an election year in most places, this isn't just an election year, this is an ELECTION year. Which means, people who previously had no interest in politics are taking a temporary interest.

Well, that's my brief bio of sorts. Anything any of you want to know about me, just ask.

[iwillalwayswonderwhy]

21. What brought me here

Utter disgust for the Bush Administration. Wanting more information. Wanting to hope that this will end in November and the need to see that I am not the only one terrified by the Bush Admin. Wanting to read discussions by like-minded thinkers. Wanting to get ideas on how to help the Kerry campaign.

When Bush "won" the election in 2000, I was sickened. I was told by a good friend not to worry about it because NO president can do much damage in just 4 years. That friend has since apologized for making that statement.

Avatars? Abbreviations? That's silly stuff to me. I don't do that stuff.

There are some awfully intimidating posters here who make me feel at a loss for words at time and I have not really felt I had much to add to discussions. I am in "learning mode".

Sure, this site will get posers, every site does. A low-post count doesn't make a person suspect. I resent that implication.

Pardon me while I'm learning and do carry on.

[southernleftylady]

22. As one who was assumed to be a Freeper thank you...

people jumped all over me thinking i was a rw'er but im not im just looking for info ! I am liking this place very much! its great!

[CANDO]

23. I have a low post count because.......

I don't feel the need to respond to every single thread I click on. I'm not aware I've ever posted anything resembling RW talking points either and besides all that, I have a life and family that need my attention.

[Gardeaux08]

24. Notice my star, please!

Yes, it is true. I do have a low post count. However, I have contributed while I lurked for two years (check out my profile). You all have given me much to read and contemplate and I thank you for that. I have been posting a little more now because, frankly, the last election just wore me out.

I was always the one on-line presenting arguments along with sources to back me up...hell, I'm an English major, backing up argument is a way of life for me. And when that election was stolen right in front of our eyes, I was afraid that a little of me, the me I had always been, was stolen from me as well. Now, as the end of this administration nears, I am thrilled to find that I'm still here and fully prepared to fight the good fight. DAMN! It's so great to feel like myself again! I wasn't as vocal as most of you, but I've been doing my homework, too.

Will I ever post 1000+? Maybe not. But I would like to think that if I had something to add to our cause, I would be taken seriously.

[phylny]

27. I, too, have a low count

but it's mainly because I read a lot more than I comment and I don't feel I always have enough knowledge to add anything significant to a discussion - I'm new to this politics game, by necessity due what I perceive is the current administration's abuse of power. I've always voted Democratic in elections, but never have I felt as outraged as I've felt over the past few years and that outrage brought me here.

Please continue to be careful when you form opinions on newbies/those of us who don't post all that much :)

[Moderator]

28. Locking......

I am sure that this has been said many times
in the past. If you think someone is a
disruptor, please use the alert button so
that the moderators and Admins can evaluate
the situation.

Ostracizing someone because he/she has
a low post count is a rule violation. Also
there is no rule that says a person must
complete his/her profile.

Disruptors are a way of life here at DU.
If you are suspicious, use the alert feature.


Thank you.

DU Moderator